The piliferous structures physiology of the human body and the hair tropism study is object of numerous scientific studies. Notoriously, in the hair bulb life cycle follow each other the anagen (growth), catagen (involution) and telogen (rest) phases. To the hair growth period follows the regression phase, during which the deepest part of the follicle goes towards programmed cell death. Cycle starts again at the end of this phase. At the base of the growth cycle there is the ability of the hair bulb stem cells to come out, alternately, from a quiescence state.
During the bulb growth phase and hair production, proliferation, differentiation and survival activities regulated by growth factors predominate. The regression phase, instead, is characterized by the molecular pathways activation that induce apoptosis in the bulb cells. The physiological hair growth mechanism, however, with a certain frequency is subject to imbalance. A significant portion of the population, especially male, is in fact affected by problems of thinning or even premature loss of hair. From the available studies, it has emerged that the phenomena of early hair loss are due to a plurality of causes including a lack of nutrients, vitamins and minerals, hormonal imbalances, unregulation of local enzymatic systems and organism stress conditions.
In an attempt to remedy and prevent conditions that accelerate hair loss, trichological preparations have been formulated which, by acting on the scalp, nourishment, oxygenation and microcirculation, tend to improve conditions that contribute to physiological hair growth.
Among the products currently marketed in the trichological field, some are based on active substances of natural origin that locally act contributing to stimulate the hair bulb tropism and skin annexes.
The Applicant, being active in the preparation of the hair loss prevention products, has recently formulated a preparation for trichological use based on a plant extract obtained from the Galeopsis segetum Necker plant. The preparation is the object of the European patent application EP3062636A0. This European patent application documents how a plant extract belonging to the species Galeopsis segetum Necker carries out a satisfactory stimulation action of the hair follicle cells and a normalization of the piliferous structures life cycle phases.
The trichological activity of this plant extract, would seem to be attributable, at least in part, to some biologically active substances present in the extract from Galeopsis segetum Necker including the flavonoids hypolaetin 4′-methyl ether 7-(2″-allosyl)-glucoside monoacetylated, hypolaetin 4′-methyl ether 7-(2″-allosyl)-acetylated glucoside, isoscutellarin 7-(2″-allosyl) monoacetylated glucoside, hypolaetin 4′-methyl ether 7-(2″-allosyl) glucoside, hypolaetin 7-(2″-allosyl) monoacetylated glucoside, isoscutellarin 7-(2″-allosyl) glucoside and hypolaetin 7-(2″-allosyl) glucoside diacetylated.
As part of its experimentation activity, the Applicant has now found, in a totally unexpected way, that some samples containing extracts from species different from Galeopsis segetum Necker while containing the flavonoids previously referred to in marginal quantities, however, possess a biological and cellular antioxidant activity unexpectedly higher than expected.
Therefore, the Applicant found that this increased biological activity and cellular antioxidant activity are present in a plant extract from an accidental plant not belonging to the species Galeopsis segetum Necker object of the previous European patent application.
One of the aims of the invention therefore consists in providing a plant extract, different from the already known extract of Galeopsis segetum Necker, which is provided of an increased stimulation activity of the hair bulb cells proliferation and which therefore finds specific use in the trichological field. Another purpose of the invention is to provide a composition for stimulating hair growth based on plant extracts from a plant alternative to the species Galeopsis segetum Necker, the use of which is substantially free of side effects. Another purpose of the invention consists in to provide a composition for trichological use which can be applied locally or administered orally, the active ingredients of which originate from a plant of an alternative species to Galeopsis segetum Necker.